Sunday, June 6, 2010

Iran Offers To Escort The Next Gaza Aid Convoy

Hojjatoleslam Ali Shirazi, an aide to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pledged Tehran would send Revolutionary Guard units to escort Gaza aid convoys. Photograph: Reuters

Gaza Blockade: Iran Offers Escort To Next Aid Convoy -- The Guardian

• Aide threatens use of Revolutionary Guard
• Netanyahu warns of Jerusalem missile danger

Iran has warned that it could send Revolutionary Guard naval units to escort humanitarian aid convoys seeking to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza – a move that would certainly be challenged by Israel.

Any such Iranian involvement, raised today by an aide to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would constitute a serious escalation of already high tensions with Israel, which accuses Tehran of seeking to build a nuclear weapon and of backing Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is not a realistic proposal. Egypt will not permit these vessels to pass through the Suez canal, which would then mean that these Iranian ships must do a trip around Africa, through Gibraltar, and then into the Mediterranean Sea.

Hmmmm .... Iran does not have the resources to do this. This is all theater and propaganda.

2 comments:

Marcase said...

Perhaps. Iran could also fly them in and embark them via Cyprus. But that may turn those ships into true armed vessels.

Problem is, the international perception is what counts. Even when loaded with armed Rev Guards, if only one 'innocent' unarmed activist would die, there would again be an uproar.

fred lapides said...

This puts the onus now on any real aid delivers (usually left nice people but naive) who will be percieved as in cahoots with Revolutionary Guard...wow. Even the Israel haters will have to rethink their hatred.
Of course if Iran did do this, it might well kick off major conflict in the area and offer Israel reason to hit Iran hard.
But there is the US...and not sure how they will or would respons.